General News
20 February, 2026
Barry's Corner: Managing Public Land
All land not owned and managed is considered to be the King’s or owned and managed as Crown Land.
Most of this Crown Land has been plundered by the community for a whole host of reasons, from the supply of timber for housing and industrial purposes.
Many uses have been made of the vacant lands have been suitable for agricultural and recreation use whether it is for farming or farm extensions.
A few decades ago, the government at the time set up an investigation body to study and recommend solutions for the future of all the land it administered. Eg Land Conservation Council.
As a result, all of the crown lands have been studied in detail and recommended to the government, which can accept or reject.
Now there are forests for timber production, gold detecting and recreation.
As well as looking out for any pests that might create risks to either the park or the farm, significant national parks have been created through this process and have added to the value of the handful of smaller parks declared 140 years ago, such as Wyperfeld, Wilsons Prom, Mt Buffalo, Fern Tree Gully and a smaller one in Gippsland.
Now parks help protect stunning scenery, rare plants, historic assets, birds, animals and reptiles, study and research options.
National Parks protect biodiversity of all types now that most of the vegetation compositions are within protected zones.
Some parks have a variety of species composition within its boundaries which makes for interesting walks such as the Mallee region where vegetation can vary between sand dunes.
Having access to some of these sites allows the public to visit and enjoy.
Camp grounds are available in many parks and walking tracks and roadways sometimes exist.
Walking tracks give access to features in more rugged terrain or some distance away.
Many walkers make use of these tracks for birdwatching, orchard identification and vistas galore.
Parks often provide time for quiet contemplation especially if you avoid the holiday seasons.
In many ways, managing a farm is similar to managing a national park, although biodiversity is different from a grain product.
A national park acts as the air cleaning process for the community as the eucalypts breathe and create oxygen.
National Parks are an important part of our history and our landscape and we should look after them.